HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Even though summer may be a time to kick back, it has been a busy time for Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., at least as observed by this volunteer. Puppy season seems to be at an all time high in Georgia. The shelters are packed. Because Georgia has many industrial jobs that have been cut, and a holiday is also upon us, people are making the decision to abandon pets, it seems, in higher numbers.

There is good news, of course.

Recently, there was a mini Twitter contest to guess how many pets were saved this year by SSP.  The winner will be revealed after the newsletter comes out.   If you are not on the list to receive it, click here.  It is coming out soon, so register right away.  It is well worth receiving for the latest news on where you can lend a hand, even in a small way.  Of course, as always, you will see photos of adorable rescued animals, which is more than worth it right there.  For pictures, in the meantime, of adorable puppies, check out the last transport.  Funds were a little short, but over 60 puppies were rescued, given medical care, and placed in rescues.

The Pitchfork Festival is just around the corner.  Saving Shelter Pets will have a table at the show between July 17th-19th, in Chicago.  Stop by and say hello!   You can grab information and chat up some volunteers.  Also, I hear there is going to be an extra special surprise.  You are going to have to drop by the table and see for yourself.  In fact, you may be so intrigued by me playing coy cat about all of this that you may want to hop in a car or on a bus just to see what it could possibly be.

My lips are zipped.   What are you talking about?  There isn’t a surprise.

Also, be sure to check out Lindsey McCool’s paintings.   She is donating part of the proceeds to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., and is a supporter of the group.  She creates unique portrait, which is watercolored, of your best friend(s).  Be sure to contact her and express your interest.   She charges only $100, and you will need to supply a photo of your pet for her to work off of.  She is a Chicago based artist, but, of course, ships out of her area.   Why not order one now for a Christmas present for a friend or relative?  I would imagine they would make beautiful memorials as well.  The recipient would probably be touched that a portrait of their pal was able to save some lives as well.

The Saving Shelter Pets Spring Auction closed on May 18th. It was a rousing success for all those involved. 84 donated items were on the auction block. From gift certificates, to dog leashes, to diamond jewelry, the selections were such that there was something for everyone.

Nearly $2,000 was raised. Of course, there is a part of this that goes towards fees, etcetera, but the result were a highly qualified success. The funds will go towards the Puppy Promises program, to keep pups out of shelters where they will likely become sick or die.

There will be another auction in the fall. There have been several exciting donations that have been pledged so far. I will not spill the beans, but I know what they are!  You will have to arm wrestle me to find out.  If you are interested in donating a good or service to the next auction, please write info @ savingshelterpets.com, or comment to me on this blog and I will put you in touch.

Thank you to everyone who bid, donated, or just spread the word.  You all rock!

During the spring Saving Shelter Pets auction, that closes in two days, you have the opportunity to bid on the sponsorship of some adorable puppies. The high bidder will sponsor one pup. This will include age aprorpriate shots, any other medical care the pup needs, transport to rescue, and spaying the mom dog. What’s more, is that ALL of the other adult dogs and cats in the house where the pup came from will be spayed or neutered as well. The puppies were intercepted when their owners were dumping them at the shelter, so inevitably, if other pets at the house had unexpected litters they may meet the same feet. The program takes care of this.

Two sweet pitbull pups, among those in the photo above, have been sponsored, there is currently an auction to sponsor one more. The bidding is currently at $20.00, and the auction will be declared “won” when it reaches $50. If the auction ends and the bid amount is lower, the winning bid will still go towards sponsoring the puppy. Here are the precious kids.

Next, there is a litter of Rhodesian Ridgeback cross pups. A whole bucket full of them. One puppy is fully sponsored. The second pup’s sponsorship is now on the auction block.  There are four in the litter: one black and tan, two with patches, and one brindle pup.  I don’t know if they are boys or girls.  The money will go towards making sure they get a great start in life, versus getting sick or dying at the shelter.  Pups in their area often meet their fate as there are just not enough qualified adopters, and the shelters are crowded.  By “qualified,” I mean an adopter eighteen or older, who either owns a home or rents somewhere where pets are allowed, can provide food and shelter, and  has never been convicted or even accused of animal cruelty.

The third litter is a litter of blue heeler mix pups, with patches and speckles!  They are just a tad bit older than the others.  When puppies start to grow, and are past the “helpless” stage they are even more vulnerable to being adandoned, as they are moving around, and without training or attention, they are “into things.”  When someone has several, they can find them a handful.

If you would like to bid on providing sponsorship for a puppy, please click here.

The Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., spring auction is going strong, thanks to some great bloggers spreading the word.

Drew, over at BenSpark.com picked up the story. I was pleased to see that not only was he pitching the auction, he is involved in lending a helping paw of his own. He will be designing a website for Friends of North Attleboro Animal Shelter. North Attleboro is just south of Boston. Even though heartworm has been pretty much licked in the area, and by and large, the spay and neuter message is getting through, there are still many dogs and cats in need.  It just may be more evident in Georgia, because of all the gassing facilities still operated, but there are people in ever state who leave a beloved pet behind.

The auction recieved international exposure on a blog from India.   “Animals, birds or say all the species of the live beings on the planet of earth hanker for love much in the same measure the humans do for themselves.”  I am glad that a stray dog has value and worth as a living creature in areas of the world that seem so far away.  International bidders are welcome in this auction, so it should be interesting to see if a few people wander over from neelkanth’s blog.

The most important endorsement, of course, is from an actual dog.  Dog’s View Point is written by a lovely and charming BlueTick Coonhound named Bandit Queen.  She wandered up to the door one day at her parent’s house and has been there ever since.  She knows what its like to be a homeless dog, so I find it an expert endorsement indeed.  Bandit Queen talks about her Petsmart trips elsewhere on her site:  “If I sit and stare at a particular toy, mom will buy it for me.”  Maybe she will rub off on all the auction bidders!

These sweet puppies are all Pit Bull mixes. They are all hoping to go on a special ride that will take them to a rescue, not a shelter. They need your help to do it. They are hoping that you will bid on an item at the Spring 2009 Saving Shelter Pets auction. There is even a special auction item that will allow you to specifically help a puppy that is sitting in this very little wagon. The bidding begins at $20.00, with a $50.00 Buy It Now Price. $50 will provide one of these pups with shots, a safe place to be quarantined to be sure they are healthy (or they will stay behind until they are), transport to a reputable, often foster based rescue. Mom and the rest of the adult dogs and cats at the house will also be spayed, to prevent more unwanted litters that are county pound bound.

CLICK HERE to specifically bid on the sponsorship of one of these little tykes.

A diamond circle pendant has been generously donated to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., for their spring auction.  The pendant was appraised several years ago at $1600.00, but is being offered at auction with the opening bid of $1.00 to make things exciting.  There is a modest reserve price (I know what it is!), but I am definitely sure someone is going to walk away with a wonderful deal on a beautiful piece!

The auction is in an online format and begins today.  Bidding ends on May 18th, so get your bid in now.

To travel to the item, please click HERE.   To read more about the programs that SSP funds, visit their site,or read all the “this and thats” that I have written in the past about SSP HERE.

There are only a few more hours to shop at Bella of Cape Cod for the Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., fundraiser.  20% of the proceeds of sales made today, until 12:00 midnight Eastern Standard Time, will be donated to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc.  All items on the site are $25.00 or less, and include a selection of accessories.  Bella of Cape Cod is located in, of course, Cape Cod, but you have the convenience of purchasing on their website from the comfort of your home or coffee shop.  Items include handbags, wristlets, sterling silver jewelry, and more.

To shop, visit http://bellaofcapecod.com.  You can also make a monetary donation if there is nothing you see that you need to have, although I do see some good Mother’s Day gifts there.

It is almost here!  The SSP Spring Auction starts on May 4th.  Can you stand it?  At this time, donations are still being accepted. Why participate? Saving Shelter Pets has several proactive programs in place:

Puppy Promises keeps young puppies out of kill shelters where they will either be euthanized or die of disease or stress.  They are transferred to rescues after a quarantine period.  What’s more, is that all of the other adult dogs and cats in the home are spayed or neutered!  No more unwanted litters to crowd the pound!

The Bernie’s Buddies program treats heartworm positive dogs that have been pulled from the shelters.  Most of the time, heartworm is a death sentence due to the amount of money involved.  A rescue can usually save several dogs for the cost of saving a heartworm positive dog, so overlook them and seal their fate.

Spay and neuter certificate programs target underserved, low income areas that do not have a low cost spay and neuter program in place.

The Rescue and Transport committee pulls lucky dogs and cats from high kill shelters and gives them a second chance at a rescue, after being quarantined, and fully treated for medical issues and routine vetting.

SSP also contributes to Trap/Neuter/Release programs for a feral cat colony.

When a dog or cat is saved from a shelter, it changes the world for that dog or cat, but when the issues are dealt with proactively, it can change the world period.

To donate or to shop, CLICK HERE.

In exactly 25 days from now, The Saving Shelter Pets spring auction will be underway.   I am making several donations.  The first is a lovely snapshot of two little girls and their best friend, a Pit Bull puppy. The photo dates to the 1930s…1937 to be exact.  Before Michael Vick, before unscrupulous breeding, the Pit Bull was regarded as a trusted family companion and a friend to children.   The photo will have a minimum opening bid of $5.00, but bid generously as it is a very good cause.  Of course, you cannot bid yet, as the auction does not open until the 4th of May.

What you can do in the meantime:

1) Bookmark the auction page at http://savingshelterpets.cmarket.com and keep checking back.

2) Check this blog and look under the  Saving Shelter Pets category.  tell a friend!

3) Donate an item.  Comment here and let me know if you would like to donate, or go to the SSP Cmarket page and click “donate an item.”

Thank you and good luck!

Saving Shelter Pets rescue #67 went off without a hitch! It was close, but all the money was raised to rescue over 40 puppies, plus two mother dogs. The puppies were enrolled in the Puppy Promises program, a special program that keeps young puppies from seeing the inside of a county pound, where they will most likely die from parvo, stress, or euthanization when their time is up. What’s even better, is that Mom dog as well as all her other housemates, both canine and feline, are spayed and neutered so that there are no future unwanted litters that come from a household.

For under $50, you can save a life of a puppy, provide all age apropriate shots, pay for their transportation ro rescue, and as well contribute towards the spay of all the other dogs at the house.  That is quite a deal!

From now until March 31st, a $10 or greater donation to SSP through Razoo’s March Goodness contest counts towards earning SSP a grant. The three charities that receive the most contributor support will receive grants to continue their good work. In otherwords, your $10 not only goes a long way to saving the lives of dogs and cats, but could potentially help many more be saved in a proactive way. Pulling a dog from a shelter changes the world for one dog, but programs such as this save infinitely more.

Pictured, above, are three adorable Pit Bull mix pups that are going to get a fantastic start in life now, thanks to Saving Shelter Pets!